Armed Neutrality
by FazedTruly
Summary: The Xiao's had always been neutral during the Holy War. The Vatican had called them foolish, the Noah Clan had disregarded them, but the descendants of the legendary Fenghuang paid them no heed. Isolated in China for years, everyone has since forgotten them. After leaving her home temporarily, Xiao Hua comes into contact with Innocence. That alone changes the unforeseen future.


_**Ten years prior before the story starts**_

A young girl stood chained onto the altar, her wrists and ankles bound onto the cross, reminiscing the son of God. She stood there in sorrow, watching as her parents gathered wood and laid them beneath her. People watched from afar, eagerly anticipating the sacrifice of the girl to their Lord and Savior. The leader of the cult stepped forward, holding a Bible in one hand and a match in the other. He lit the pile of wood beneath her on fire and began to chant, the rests following his words. The girl closed her eyes and let a tear fall out, she didn't want to die yet. The flames licked the soles of her feet and ran rampant up her clothes,

_**she didn't want to die, she didn't want to die, she didn't want to die-**_

She hesitantly opened her eyes, she was sure she was on fire, but why didn't she feel any pain?

The fire was still around her, but it felt like a warm blanket, lulling her into a sense of security. She could distinctly make out the screams of the bystanders, but she didn't care. This is what they had subjected her to, it was only fair that they felt it too. She felt the rope binding her body being cutaway and a pair of hands carrying her from the cross through the wreckage. A pair of red orbs peered into her own, gently shaking her when they had arrived at the outskirts of the village.

"Little one, what is your name?" her savior asked.

She blinked in surprise. No one had ever asked her that. "I-I don't have one."

His eyes hardened until they looked like flint, "I see."

He continued to carry her through the woods, going so fast that the scenery flickered to fast for her to make out their location. He stopped in front of a large compound with great gates that obscured her view of the inside. She could make out the words "Xiao" from the top of the nameplate that loomed threateningly over them.

"This will be your home granddaughter. I have left you to my daughter's choices for too long, but she has gone too far. From now on, your name shall be Xiao Hua. Like the flower, you will rise from your past and become great."

"Xiao Hua?" the little girl asked the handsome man with the long black tresses. He looked too young to be her grandfather, but she would ask him about it later. He nodded indulgently at her question.

"I am Xiao Hua!" the newly christened Xiao Hua announced loudly, more surely than before. She felt tears streaming down her face and a lump in her throat. Is this what it was like to belong? She had always felt sad back at the village, but this feeling wasn't so bad. She felt warmth in her chest and she nestled her head against her grandfather's neck. He rubbed her back comfortingly in return.

"Thank you, grandfather," she whispered before her eyes drooped down and made her world fade to black.

* * *

A small figure weaved between the falling raindrops, her feet leaving small ripples on the forming puddles. Her hood prevented anyone from knowing her identity but it didn't stop anyone from muttering disapproving remarks towards her. Her sanguine eyes brightened up in relief when she saw a refuge from the rain at the end of the street.

She slipped into a nearby inn, checking in before heading into the room. For its price, she was surprised by the sight of a small clean room with a bed and bathroom. It could have been much worse, like a cockroach infestation. She flicked on the lights before flopping onto the bed to face the ceiling.

It had been ten years since her grandfather saved her from her demise. She had grown from the sullen kid into a mature adult. But it had only been two years since she was kicked out of the family compound for severely injuring the grandson of another elder. Her grandfather was able to convince the rest of the elders to sentence her to a probation period to the outside world. It wasn't the best, but at least she wasn't banished from the compound forever. She felt homesick, but she couldn't return until the matter had settled.

She missed her grandmother's famous pork dumplings and baozi. Xiao Hua drooled at the thought of tasting the savory, meaty taste of the filling, as well as the slightly sweet bun. She quickly wiped the drool that was forming at the corner of her mouth and cleared her gluttonous thoughts.

She stepped in front of the mirror and cupped her breasts, they were as big as they were when she was thirteen. She sighed unhappily. She was already nineteen years of age, yet only small mounds marked her growth. At this rate, she could be mistaken as a little girl. Xiao Hua made plans to drink more milk to make the fatty tissues grow bigger.

A loud crash interrupted her thoughts. A large blur barreled through her window, sending glass shards flying everywhere. Several of them scratched her but she paid them no heed, there was a threat to defend against. Xiao Hua grabbed her dao from its sheath, pointing the curved blade threateningly at the intruder.

"Who are you?" she demanded, gripping the handle tighter with every passing second.

The intruder stood up shakily, carrying a large metal box on his back. Why is the Black Order here?

"...run...I can't hold off much lon-"

He was interrupted by the emergence of a spherical figure with gun barrels pointing at them. A creepy face smiled at them.

"Found you."

A barrage of bullets fired into the room, immediately killing the intruder, spraying blood throughout the room. Xiao Hua hid under the bed, it was cramped, but hopefully, the monster didn't notice her.

"I know you're there," the Akuma called out into the room.

Xiao Hua groaned internally, it seems like luck wasn't on her side today. She crawled out from under the bed.

She shrieked when a bullet whizzed past her hair, cutting off a couple of strands of her dark brown hair. It looks like she had no choice but to fight.

Xiao Hua made a starting run and leaped past the broken window, taking great care in avoiding the jagged edges. She skidded on the concrete pavement kicking up a storm of dust before leading the Akuma far from the inn. It wouldn't be good if innocent civilians were to be caught up in their battle.

More bullets flew past her, forcing Xiao Hua to stop and face the Akuma. She wasn't arrogant enough to believe that she could dodge them all while running away. She's seen the effects of its bullets before, and it wasn't pleasant. The location they were at was too close to the town for her liking, but it would have to do for the meantime. She caught her breath, forcing herself to calm down before the main battle.

A maniacal grin greeted her eyes before another mirage of bullets launched themselves at her.

Xiao Hua dodged them nimbly, zooming past them in record time. Boom! The blood bullets implanted themselves where she had been standing. This Akuma was faster than the ones she usually saw, it must be on the verge of evolving!

Xiao Hua cursed, it would take more of her time if it successfully evolved. Evolved Akumas were tougher to kill. She had no time to waste.

With two hands firmly on the hilt of the dao, Xiao Hua slashed the blade down, causing a wave of energy to release from the tip.

"_**One-Shot Burst!**_"

A plume of fire erupted, heading straight for the Akuma. The Akuma wailed incessantly, attempting to shoot more bullets at her, which promptly dissipated in the intense heat. Xiao Hua watched as the flames enveloped it, watching as the body disappeared in the high temperature into nothingness. She stood there, breathing in the cool crisp air before promptly shivering, she had always been temperamental to the cold. It would be a good idea for her to head back to the inn and rest, she decided.

A gleam of green caught her eye when she arrived back in her room. It glowed slightly in the pocket of the deceased Black Order member.

Xiao Hua rummaged her hands in his pockets before pulling out a shard of Innocence. _So that was what it was after._

She held it in her palm, contemplating the irony of the thing. It was such a tiny thing but it caused so much chaos in the world. Her grandfather had taught her about the war going on with the Noahs and the Exorcists. Her family had always stayed neutral during their trivial war. The Black Order had ridiculed them for not taking their side and the Noah family had deemed them harmless. Xiao Hua doubted that they had even remembered them after her family's seclusion into China's insecure regions five hundred years ago. The Xiao's were supposedly descendants of the mythical firebird, the Fenghuang. Legend has it that the bird descended from the heavens and took a humanoid form, copulating with humans and having them as the product. Their signature reddish-brown eyes and their inherent fire powers seemed to prove it as truth.

Moreover, what was she going to do with the innocence shard in her hand? Delivering it to either side was going against the neutral stance they had taken in the war.

She hesitated between leaving it here or taking it with her, before ultimately deciding to take it with her. The Black Order member had died trying to protect the Innocence. It would weigh guiltily on her conscience if she left it with him. She'll leave it with whoever wrestled it out of her possession.

With that in mind, Xiao Hua drove her dao into the man's chest, allowing her fire to dance on the corpse before it reduced into a pile of ash. The open window had let in a breeze that lifted the ashes out of the room. It seemed almost poetical in a sense. What was left was a scorch mark on the wooden floor but Xiao Hua was sure that she could cover it with the small carpet that was strewn on the floor. As for the window, well, she would figure that out tomorrow.

Xiao Hua fell onto the bed ungracefully. It had been a long day, and she had better get her rest so that she could leave before the innkeeper noticed the damage done to the room. Her eyelids felt heavy on the scratchy comforter and before she knew it, she had fallen into a deep sleep.

* * *

The cool rays of dawn woke up the sleeping not-so-really beauty. Xiao Hua clutched her blankets tighter in an attempt to fend off the morning mist that flooded her room. She reluctantly released them after a while and got out of bed. Her first mission of the day was to get out of town before anyone asked any questions about the blood-splattered walls. Xiao Hua fought with her hair, yanking the tangles out. After she was sure that her dark brown hair looked satisfactory, she washed her face and brushed her teeth. Slinging a black coat on, Xiao Hua dashed out of the hotel into the train station. After spending the rest of her wallet for a ticket, she waited patiently for her train.

* * *

She should've known better than to forget about her condition in her excitement, Xiao Hua thought glumly. She was currently hunched over on a paper bag, vomiting the contents of her stomach. Her train compartment smelled like her breakfast, except a little more rancid.

Xiao Hua wiped the spittle from the corner of her mouth with a napkin, oh-so-graciously given by the attendant. She rinsed her mouth with a generous dose of water and spat it out the open window, along with the full paper bag. Xiao Hua rested her elbow on the edge of the window, enjoying the fresh breeze and the cool fog that settled in the scenery.

She popped fresh tea leaves into her mouth, chewing it slowly to get rid of the foul aftertaste. While swirling the leaves around her mouth, she heard a commotion near her compartment. She brightened up. She had been so bored waiting in the compartment for two hours. Maybe she should stretch her legs and check out the commotion?

Xiao Hua slipped on her cloak, tightening the hood around her face. She then crept out of her compartment, sliding the door at the end of the car to see a nearly naked man. A nearly _**naked**_ man.

Xiao Hua abruptly closed the door shut, she didn't expect that at all. Turning around, she accidentally bumped into someone's chest. She peered up to sneak a peek at the person she just bumped into. Tresses of white hair greeted her view along with a strange red scar that complimented a pair of violet eyes.

"I'm so sorry!" Xiao Hua exclaimed in embarrassment when he noticed her staring.

The boy smiled amiably, "You're fine Miss."

His companion popped up from behind him grinning cheerfully at her. Xiao Hua nearly jumped in surprise when the orange headed man spoke up.

"Did you see a man with white and black hair around here...?"

"Yes. I think he was the nearly naked man in the other car?" Xiao Hua replied questionably.

Their eyes widened in astonishment as well as a bit of exasperation. Quickly they strode over and opened the door wide, exposing the near-naked man from before and a group of guys around him playing cards.

Xiao Hua almost died when they glanced at her with curiosity. She never felt more grateful to her cloak for shielding her face.

"Krory?" the boy asked in disbelief.

The nearly naked man with shaggy black and white hair looked tearfully at the white-haired boy.

"Allen!" he cried out.

"Huh. Oh, sorry, this ain't the sort of place for kids," the man with nerdy glasses spoke up condescendingly.

Xiao Hua bristled at the hidden insult. She was nineteen years old, practically an adult. She blamed her Asian genes for her youthful appearance.

He continued, facing "Krory" this time, "Shall we go one more round, mack?"

His friends leered at Krory, eyeing his pink polka-dotted boxers.

Krory shifted nervously in his seat, "Oh, well, but then…" he trailed off.

"Allen" walked over to Krory, "What are you doing, Krory?"

The carrot head gestured Xiao Hua inside before sliding the door shut. She gingerly took a seat next to a little boy with a white face mask. She listened to Krory's explanation and sweatdropped. His mannerism and teary eyes indicated others to be the type who'd get taken advantage of.

Xiao Hua stared curiously at Allen as he sat down to take Krory's place in strip poker. He looked a little on the young side, but she knew from experience that age doesn't determine expertise.

She watched the game intently before a series of cough caught her attention. Xiao Hua glanced at the fair-haired boy next to her worriedly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes mi-" he reassured her before a hack interrupted him.

Xiao Hua rubbed his back comfortingly, before fishing a thermos of tea from her satchel. She poured some tea into the small metal cup and offered it to him.

"Here, have some jasmine tea. It'll soothe your throat."

"Thank you," he said, accepting the cup gratefully and gulping down its contents.

"So, why are you with these men?" Xiao Hua asked curiously.

His eyes shifted uncomfortably, "They look mean, but they're really good to me."

Xiao Hua tousled his hair in a playful but comforting manner. Eeez hesitantly leaned towards her touch, it was different from the noogies he got with his companions. He faintly got a whiff of an herbal scent wafting from her.

"They are very lucky to have a kind boy like you," she murmured.

After several seconds, she removed her fingers from his silky strands and gave him her thermos.

"Have this, it has my special blend in it that'll help you out. Don't worry about giving it back to me, I have more."

He gripped the container and smiled brightly at her.

"Thanks a lot, Miss!"

"Who are you?" someone asked from behind her, awfully close to her ear.

Xiao Hua reared back in surprise, her head snapped back to face the unknown person. It was the nerdy glasses man from before. His brown eyes bored into hers. Her eyes trailed down to his bare chest and back to his smirking face.

"I'm Xi-I meant Hua." she stuttered, silently cursing herself. She still wasn't used to referring to herself in a western way.

"Thanks for taking care of our little Eeez," he grinned. He pressed a featherlight kiss on the knuckles of her hand, "The name's Tyki."

Xiao Hua distantly heard his companions wolf-whistling at his actions. She gently tugged her hand out of his warm grasp. It felt strangely intimate to hold a stranger's hand.

"Eeez was a pleasure to talk to," Xiao Hua replied politely.

"You're free to stay here with us or you can follow your friends."

Friends? Xiao Hua looked around to see that she was alone in the compartment. Krory, Allen, and his friend had already left without her knowing. Even though they didn't really know each other, she wished they had said something before leaving her behind with another group of strangers. But his offer was tempting. She had already grown a bit of affection for the sickly boy.

"You really wouldn't mind?"

Tyki's lips tugged into a full grin, he didn't expect that she would agree to his proposition.

"Not at all. How about you boys?" he asked, turning towards his companions.

A chorus of negatives answered him.

"Well, there you have it. This is Momo and over there is Clark," he stated, pointing at the man with a hat and the brown-haired man respectively.

Xiao Hua gave them a little wave in which they smirked back. They seemed a little rough around the edges, but weren't they all?

"So why is a little girl like you traveling alone?" Momo asked.

Little girl? Did she really look that young? She was sure he didn't mean it as an insult so she brushed it off.

"I got kicked out two years ago. I've been freelancing for a while." Xiao Hua replied lightheartedly.

They didn't pry into the reason why she left, choosing to play another game of cards.

Xiao Hua watched them play, slightly envious by their good-natured persona that reminded her of the times she would play checkers with her grandfather. The nostalgia she felt pulled her into a light slumber.

* * *

"Wake up _shoujo_," a voice called out to her, causing her eyelashes to flutter open.

Xiao Hua rubbed the blurriness out of her eyes and stretched out her arms in front of her, popping a couple of joints.

Tyki grimaced at the _pop! pop! pop! _that resonated throughout the room.

"You shouldn't do that _shoujo_, medical care is expensive.

Xiao Hua flashed him a bright smile, "Thanks for caring but I'll be okay!'

"If you say so. Our stop is coming soon, so this will be our farewell."

Eeez tapped her shoulder, holding out a black ribbon. Xiao Hua pointed at herself, "_For me?" _she mouthed.

He nodded. Xiao Hua gave him a hug, taking the ribbon and tying it around her wrist.

"I love it! Thank you."

His eyes lit up, and she smiled at his cheerful exuberance.

The train slowly stopped, tooting its horn to warn it's passengers. His companions slung their bags over their shoulders, gesturing the little blond boy over to them.

"Bye Eeez, Momo, Clark, Tyki! See you someday!" Xiao Hua called out.

"Thanks, little girl!"

Xiao Hua sweatdropped, they really couldn't have dropped that nickname?

* * *

"That was awfully kind of you Eeez. You like her or something?" Tyki teased his young ward after they got off the train.

Eeze nodded, her kindness to a stranger was refreshing from the usual dirty stares he got for traveling with sketchy looking men. Hua was different. She didn't tell him to distance himself from his friends but rather listened to him before judging them. "She's nice."


End file.
